Grip and bridge technique and advice

[dr_dave]

Bob Jewett and I recently filmed a bunch of stuff together. The following link points to a 2-part series dealing with recommendations and advice concerning the grip and bridge.

NV B.96 - Grip and bridge technique and advice​

Please let us know if you have any comments, feedback, or questions.

Enjoy,
Dave

 

[Dead Crab]

Bob Jewett and I recently filmed a bunch of stuff together. The following link points to a 2-part series dealing with recommendations and advice concerning the grip and bridge.

NV B.96 - Grip and bridge technique and advice​

Please let us know if you have any comments, feedback, or questions.

Enjoy,
Dave

Regarding the closed bridge, I thought Jimmy Reid had an interesting variation, where he used the thumb as a guide, in the same fashion that Bob has demonstrated in the first rail bridge shown, except that the cue rides on top of the thumb. It is a bit constricting, but a useful variation when stability and accuracy are the most important factors.

 

[dr_dave]

Regarding the closed bridge, I thought Jimmy Reid had an interesting variation, where he used the thumb as a guide, in the same fashion that Bob has demonstrated in the first rail bridge shown, except that the cue rides on top of the thumb. It is a bit constricting, but a useful variation when stability and accuracy are the most important factors.

Thanks for the comment. I often look at how different people bridge in different situations, and I'm often surprised (and learn from) what I see.

Regards,
Dave

 

[Murdoch7627]

Dr. Dave,

Thank you. That was very informative and useful.

What are your thoughts on the open bridge where the thumb is not pointed up at all but rather pressed against the pointer finger? I have tried this lately and note that the "V" formed by the thumb and finger are more in line with the line of the cue whereas with the thumb pointed up the "V" for right handed player points off the the left. Or at least it does for me when my thumb is pointed up.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

Man Dr. D, you and Bob have been busy lately.

Thanks for letting us know of the new additions to the website.:grin:

 

[dr_dave]

Dr. Dave,

Thank you. That was very informative and useful.

What are your thoughts on the open bridge where the thumb is not pointed up at all but rather pressed against the pointer finger? I have tried this lately and note that the "V" formed by the thumb and finger are more in line with the line of the cue whereas with the thumb pointed up the "V" for right handed player points off the the left. Or at least it does for me when my thumb is pointed up.

I personally curl my thumb up quick a bit, and I turn my hand to the right a little to present the well-defined "V" perpendicular to the cue. Works great for me.

I'm a big fan of the open bridge (on almost all shots); although, Bob seems to prefer closed on most shots.

Regards,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Man Dr. D, you and Bob have been busy lately.

Thanks for letting us know of the new additions to the website.:grin:

You're welcome ... and thank you.

We aim to squerve, :grin:
Dave

 

[Murdoch7627]

I personally curl my thumb up quick a bit, and I turn my hand to the right a little to present the well-defined "V" perpendicular to the cue. Works great for me.

I'm a big fan of the open bridge (on almost all shots); although, Bob seems to prefer closed on most shots.

Regards,
Dave

Thanks for your reply. I have seen several of the pros (accu-stats DVDs)with their thumbs not up in the air at all and was just curious about it.

 

[TheBook]

Thanks for posting. Is this brand new material or is it on your DVD's.

I haven't seen all the videos you posted and it may have been covered but after watching this one I have a question. If the tip is only on the CB the small amount of time that you proved and the vibration of the shaft doesn't do anything after contact then how does shaft stiffness affect anything?

Thanks

 

[sfleinen]

Bob Jewett and I recently filmed a bunch of stuff together. The following link points to a 2-part series dealing with recommendations and advice concerning the grip and bridge.

NV B.96 - Grip and bridge technique and advice​

Please let us know if you have any comments, feedback, or questions.

Enjoy,
Dave

Dave:

A great video -- kudos to you and Bob! You guys did miss presentation of the most popular closed bridge, which is the Filipino-style, index-finger-pressing-down-upon-middle-finger closed bridge, with the thumb pressing against the side of the middle finger (it's basically "along for the ride" -- most of the clamping work is done by the index finger upon the middle finger). You'll notice most of the pros have now adopted this style closed bridge, with the "pure loop" style closed bridge (as taught in Mosconi's little red book) being quite rarely seen in pros these days.

Another closed bridge that is extremely stable is the Willie Hoppe style closed bridge, as shown here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sc4iaJWu8Ak#t=155s
(This link will jump you into the section where Willie demonstrates his closed loop bridge.)

I don't agree with Willie's stroke style (i.e. from the shoulder as shown in the video), but I've found his closed bridge to be extremely stable and rock steady. The only change I make, is not to let the flesh of my fingers "drag" on the shaft like he shows in the video. A little corn starch applied in there on the contacts points where the cue contacts my fingers fixes that nicely.

Another closed bridge that seems to work well -- albeit it would make you think it's completely against what's traditionally taught -- is the closed bridge that Earl Strickland uses. Basically, it's a traditional closed loop bridge (like taught in Mosconi's little red book), but Earl hooks his index finger on the OUTSIDE of his thumb, not on top of or on the inside of the thumb. Earl basically uses the top surface of his thumb as a "channel" to ride the cue shaft on top of; the middle finger provides the "left wall" and the index finger provides the "right wall" to guide the cue and keep it on track.

I also agree with the synopsis about a variation of the open bridge where the thumb, instead of sticking up in the air at a 45-degree angle (of course clamped against the index finger), the thumb is instead folded over onto the index finger. The cue travels between the knuckle of the index finger and the knuckle of the thumb, keeping the skin taught and preventing the flesh from moving to and fro. This gives added stability. Shane Van Boening uses this variation of the open bridge all the time, as do most Filipino pros.

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean

 

[dr_dave]

Thanks for posting. Is this brand new material or is it on your DVD's.

Brand new. Tom and I decided to not include grip/bridge/stance/stroke fundamentals on the VEPS series (since almost every book and video covers this, and because I have a wealth of fundamentals resources on my website). Although, we do cover draw shot stuff in detail on Disc I and kick/bank stuff in detail on Disc IV.

I haven't seen all the videos you posted and it may have been covered but after watching this one I have a question. If the tip is only on the CB the small amount of time that you proved and the vibration of the shaft doesn't do anything after contact then how does shaft stiffness affect anything?

Shaft stiffness can have a big effect on the "feel" of a cue. For more info, see:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/cue.html#feel​

It can also have an indirect affect on the amount of cue ball deflection (squirt). For more info, see:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/squirt.html#endmass​

Thank you for the comments and question,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Dave:

A great video -- kudos to you and Bob! You guys did miss presentation of the most popular closed bridge, which is the Filipino-style, index-finger-pressing-down-upon-ring-finger closed bridge, with the thumb pressing against the side of the ring finger (it's basically "along for the ride" -- most of the clamping work is done by the index finger upon the ring finger). You'll notice most of the pros have now adopted this style closed bridge, with the "pure loop" style closed bridge (as taught in Mosconi's little red book) being quite rarely seen in pros these days.

Another closed bridge that is extremely stable is the Willie Hoppe style closed bridge, as shown here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sc4iaJWu8Ak#t=155s
(This link will jump you into the section where Willie demonstrates his closed loop bridge.)

I don't agree with Willie's stroke style (i.e. from the shoulder as shown in the video), but I've found his closed bridge to be extremely stable and rock steady. The only change I make, is not to let the flesh of my fingers "drag" on the shaft like he shows in the video. A little corn starch applied in there on the contacts points where the cue contacts my fingers fixes that nicely.

Another closed bridge that seems to work well -- albeit it would make you think it's completely against what's traditionally taught -- is the closed bridge that Earl Strickland uses. Basically, it's a traditional closed loop bridge (like taught in Mosconi's little red book), but Earl hooks his index finger on the OUTSIDE of his thumb, not on top of or on the inside of the thumb. Earl basically uses the top surface of his thumb as a "channel" to ride the cue shaft on top of; the ring finger provides the "left wall" and the index finger provides the "right wall" to guide the cue and keep it on track.

I also agree with the synopsis about a variation of the open bridge where the thumb, instead of sticking up in the air at a 45-degree angle (of course clamped against the index finger), the thumb is instead folded over onto the index finger. The cue travels between the knuckle of the index finger and the knuckle of the thumb, keeping the skin taught and preventing the flesh from moving to and fro. This gives added stability. Shane Van Boening uses this variation of the open bridge all the time, as do most Filipino pros.

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean

Thank you for your excellent descriptions. Those would have been nice to include.

When I update my grip FAQ page with the new videos, I'll be sure to add a quote of your post. Very good information!

Thanks,
Dave

 

[sfleinen]

Thank you for your excellent descriptions. Those would have been nice to include.

When I update my grip FAQ page with the new videos, I'll be sure to add a quote of your post. Very good information!

Thanks,
Dave

Actually, Dave, I offer my apologies -- I mentioned "ring finger" where I meant to say "middle finger." My bad. I'll fix my original post, so that when you quote it and add it to your site, it will have the correct information.

Apologies,
-Sean

 

[dr_dave]

Actually, Dave, I offer my apologies -- I mentioned "ring finger" where I meant to say "middle finger."

I actually mention this option (but don't show it) in the video. But I'm glad you've also described it in detail.

My bad. I'll fix my original post, so that when you quote it and add it to your site, it will have the correct information.

Thanks.

Regards,
Dave

 

[dr_dave]

Actually, Dave, I offer my apologies -- I mentioned "ring finger" where I meant to say "middle finger." My bad. I'll fix my original post, so that when you quote it and add it to your site, it will have the correct information.

Thanks for the correction. FYI, your quote is now posted with the video here:

http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/bridge.html#closed​

Good job,
Dave